Tuesday, January 20, 2015

They
are the outcasts of humanity. Blessed with power. Cursed by fate. Driven by
passion. The Sentinels have returned…

OUT
OF THE SHADOWS

At
six-foot-three and two-hundred-fifty pounds, Fane is a natural born guardian. A
flawless mix of muscled perfection and steely precision, he has devoted years
of his life to protecting a beautiful necromancer. But after she found love in
the arms of another, Fane has been a warrior adrift. He swears allegiance only
to the Sentinels. And no woman will ever rule his heart again…

INTO
THE FIRE

Not
only a powerful psychic, Serra is that rare telepath who can connect to minds
through objects. When the daughter of a high-blood businessman is kidnapped,
Serra agrees to help. But when she stumbles onto a conspiracy involving secrets
sects and ancient relics, her life is in mortal danger—and Fane is her only
hope. Is the warrior willing to risk his body, his soul, and his heart, for
Serra? Or will one last betrayal destroy them both?

“True.” Fane
tried to dismiss the problem from his mind.
Soon enough he would be in the seclusion of the monastery and the
dangers of the world would no longer be his concern. Right?
“It sounds like you have it covered.
I’ll send you more warriors when they’ve completed their training.”

“Dammit, Fane...”
Wolfe bit off his words as the atmosphere in the gym abruptly changed.

Both men turned to discover what had happened.

Or rather...who...had happened.

“Shit,” Fane breathed, a familiar ache settling in
the center of his chest at the sight of the beautiful female who sashayed into
the room.

Serra Vetrov had the habit of changing the
atmosphere in rooms since she’d left the nursery.

Hell, he’d seen men walk into walls and cars drive
off the road when she strolled past.

An elegantly tall woman with long, glossy black hair
that contrasted with her pale, ivory skin, she had lush curves that she
emphasized with her tight leather pants and matching vest that was cut to
reveal a jaw-dropping amount of her generous breasts.

Her features were delicately carved. Her pale green eyes were thickly lashed, her
nose narrow and her lips so sensually full they gave the impression of a sex
kitten.

Although anyone foolish enough to underestimate her,
was in for an unpleasant surprise.

Serra was not only a powerful psychic, but she was a
rare telepath who could use objects to connect with the mind of the owner. Over the years, she’d used her talents more
than once to find missing children or to track down violent offenders.

On the darker side, she could also use her skills to
force humans, and those high-bloods without mental shields, to see illusions
and could even implant memories in the more vulnerable minds.

Still, it wasn’t her dangerous powers that made
grown men scramble out of her path.
Serra had a tongue that could flay at a hundred yards and she wasn’t
afraid to use it.

Wolfe sent Fane a mocking smile. “It appears I’m not the only one who listens
to the grapevine. Good luck,
amigo.”

Turning, he strolled toward the cluster of Sentinels
who were watching Serra cross the gym like a pack of starving hounds.

Bastards.

###

Serra kept her head held high and a smile pinned to
her lips as she marched past the gaping men.
She was female enough to appreciate being noticed by the opposite
sex. Why not? But today she barely noticed the audible
groans as she took a direct path toward her prey.

She felt a tiny surge of amusement as the thought of
Fane being anyone’s prey.

The massive warrior was two hundred fifty pounds of
pure muscle and raw male power. He was
also one of the rare few who was completely impervious to her ability to poke
around in his mind.

Which was a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because it was impossible for a psychic
to completely block out an intimate partner, which was a distraction that would
make any lover cringe. There was nothing
quite so demeaning as being in the middle of sex and realize your partner was
picturing Angelina Jolie.

And a curse because Fane was about as chatty as a
rock. His feelings were locked down so
tight Serra feared that someday they would explode.

And not in a good way.

Or maybe it would be good, she silently told
herself, gliding to a halt directly in front of his half-naked form.

There weren’t many things worse than watching all
emotions being stripped away as you approached the man you’d loved for the past
two decades.

Especially when she was a seething mass of emotions.

She wanted to grab his beautiful face in her hands
and kiss him until he melted into a puddle of goo. No.She wanted to kick him in the nuts for being such a prick.

Maybe she’d kick him and then kiss it better.

To make matters worse she was on a lust-driven
adrenalin high.

Just standing next to his half-naked body coated in
sweat made her heart pump and her mouth dry.

God. She was
so fucking pathetic.

Accepting that her companion wasn’t going to break
the awkward silence, she tilted her chin up another notch.

Any higher and she was going to be staring at the
ceiling.

“Fane,” she purred softly.

His dark gaze remained focused on her face,
resisting any temptation to glance at her skimpy vest. Of course, if it hadn’t been for the rare
times she’d caught him casting covert glances at her body, she might suspect he
hadn’t yet realized she was a woman.

“Serra.”

On the way to the gym she’d practiced what she was
going to say. She was going to be
cool. Composed. And in complete control.

Instead the fear lodged in the pit of her belly made
her strike out like a petulant child.

“You’re leaving?”

He gave a slow dip of his head. “I’m returning to Tibet.”

The fear began to spread through her body, her hands
clenching at her sides. “Did you ever
intend to tell me?”

“Yes.”

“When?” she snapped.
“On your way out the door?”

“Does it matter?”

Oh yeah. He
was definitely getting kicked in the nuts.

“Yes, it damned well matters.”

He remained stoic.
Unmoved by her anger. “What do
you want from me?”

She lowered her voice. It wasn’t that she gave a shit that they had
an audience. Living in Valhalla meant
that privacy was a rare commodity. But
she had some pride, dammit. She didn’t
want them to hear her beg.

“You know what I want.”

Something flared through the dark eyes. Something that sliced through her heart like
a dagger.

“It’s impossible,” he rasped. “I’ll always care for you, Serra, but not in
the way you need.”

She should walk away.

It’s what any woman with an ounce of sense would do.

But when had she claimed any sense when it came to
this man?

Instead she stepped forward, bringing them nose to
nose. Well, they would be nose to nose
if he didn’t have six inches on her.

“Liar.”

He frowned, the heat from his body brushing over her
bare skin like a caress. Serra
shuddered. Oh god. She’d wanted him for so long.

It was like a sickness.

“A Sentinel doesn’t lie.”

She snorted at the ridiculous claim. “Maybe not, but you can twist the truth until
it screams. And the truth is that you’ve
always used your duty to Callie as a shield between us.”

His fists landed on his hips, his eyes narrowing at
her accusation. “My duty was more than a
shield.”

Okay. He had
a point.

His bond with Callie had been very real.

But that didn’t mean he hadn’t hidden behind his
obligation as a guardian.

“Fine.” She
held his gaze. “And now that duty is
done.”

He was shaking his head before she finished
speaking. “My duty to Callie is done,
but my duty to the Sentinels remains.”

She clenched teeth.
It was true most Sentinels never married. But it wasn’t against any rules.

Niko had just returned to Valhalla with a wife who
promised to be a valuable healer, and Callie had recently married Duncan who’d
recently become a Sentinel.

It might demand compromise and sacrifice on both
sides, but it could be done.

So why was Fane so unwilling to even give it a try?

“I assume that’s going to be your new excuse?” she
forced between gritted teeth.

Without warning his expression softened and his
fingers lightly brushed down her bare arm.

“Serra, I don’t need an excuse,” he said, the hint
of regret in his eyes more alarming than his previous remoteness. She was used to him pretending to be
indifferent to her. Now it felt
like...goodbye. Shit. “I’ve never made promises I can’t keep,” he
continued, his tone soft. “In fact, I’ve
been very clear that you should find a man who can give you the happiness you
deserve.”

For one weak, tragic moment she allowed herself to
savor the brief touch of his fingers. Then her pride came galloping to her rescue
and she was jerking away with a brittle smile.

She would endure anything but his pity.

Hell no.

“Very generous of you.”

He grimaced at her sarcastic tone. “I know you don’t believe me, but all I’ve
ever wanted was your happiness.”

“And you assume I’ll find it in the arms of another
man?” She went straight for the jugular.

The hesitation was so fleeting she might have
imagined it. “Yes.”

She leaned forward, infuriated by her inability to
read his mind. Dammit. Just when she needed her talents the most
she was flying blind.

Was this how humans felt?

This maddening helplessness?

It sucked.

“It won’t bother you at all to know that I belong to
another?”

“I will be...”He took a beat to find the right word.“Content.”

Author Info

ALEXANDRA IVY graduated from Truman University with a degree
in theatre before deciding she preferred to bring her characters to life on
paper rather than stage. She currently lives in Missouri with her
extraordinarily patient husband and teenage sons. To stay updated on
Alexandra’s Guardian series or to chat with other readers, please visit her
website at www.alexandraivy.com.

Readers may never view Monks in the same light after reading this series.

The tension and heat between Fane and Serra has been building up since the very introduction of this series'. A love that has been denied out of asense of duty by only one of the parties, the just may have have reached her breaking point and on the verge of putting any and all advances to an end and move on. As many of us know and have learned the hard way, the greatest joke in the Universe is when you attempt to decide what your own fate shall be. A point brutally driven home when another sect of Sentinel's come out of the shadow's, Assassins. Trained by the Monks to feel no emotions and to use their abilities in the most lethal of ways. And one has Serra within his scope range.

Serra Vetrov is one of the few high bloods fortunate enough to have not only one set of parents to love her, but two. Her birth parents brought her to the sanctuary of Valhalla knowing that would be the safest place for her, yet still remaining in her life and letting her know at every available opportunity how much they love her. An incredibly strong and talented psychic, and just as beautiful as she is lethal, Serra has never had to go wanting for much. When she comes across a Guardian whose mind she cannot penetrate and just so happens to be the Guardian of her adoptive sister, Callie, its both lust and challenge at first sight that quickly manifests into love. And now that the bond between Fane and Callie is broken, nothing should stand in the way of them being together. Nothing but Fane himself, and Tibet.

Fane refuses to give in to the attraction he feels for Serra. Knowing that as a Guardian his duty should come above all else, at least that's the excuse he continues to give himself. He knows that being a Guardian places him in constant danger and doesn't want Serra to ever be placed in the middle of it. Never really thinking about the fact of her being a high blood automatically places her in danger no matter who she's with. A point that is driven home when she's kidnapped. And nothing in Heaven or Hel will stand in his way to find her. Only when he does it won't be a simple matter of snatching her away and bringing her back home.

Serra is being held by an Assassin, one who will not let her go until she completes the task he needs her to do. One that will tug at her own heartstrings, and she may have done willingly had he only asked. But now her life is hanging in the balance and there is nothing Fane or anyone else can do to save her. Though there isn't much Fane will not do in attempt to at least try.

Full of magic, suspense, violence and more than a few heated love scenes, Blood Assassin is a must read for non-squeamish PNR fans. A powerful psychic that can and will use her brain as a weapon, a deadly assassin out to save the love he loves at all costs, a high blood in stasis that could cause an all out war if her powers are unleashed, and the world's most powerful Guardian out to save the woman he loves, and an Epilogue that will leave readers wide eyed and gasping makes for a powerful action packed novel that will have readers longing for more.